


Warriors: Twilightstar's Prophecy

by FrancesBartlett



Category: Original Work, Warriors - Erin Hunter
Genre: F/M, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-31
Updated: 2018-01-31
Packaged: 2019-03-11 18:49:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 6,794
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13530390
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FrancesBartlett/pseuds/FrancesBartlett
Summary: Smoke will consume the fallen, felt only by echoes and death. Follow the running heart, listen to the wolves cry, and hear the ember's song. Truth lies in four from differing clans, all destined to restore the balance.With the dawn of a new day, a dark era is fast approaching the cats living in SilverClan, TwilightClan, BriarClan, and BorderClan. As the new generation of apprentices settle into their roles as members of their vastly different clans, four cats are destined to save their homes from the destruction that lurks in smoke and shadows. Follow Emberpaw, Wolfpaw, Runningpaw, and Deadpaw as they try and decipher the prophecy gifted to all four of them with the aid of their friends and family. Can the four apprentices protect their world, or is it already too late?





	1. Meet the Clans - SilverClan

**Author's Note:**

> This story follows entirely original characters in an entirely original world, utilizing only the concepts and rules laid out by the authors of the book series Warriors. Any likeness to a pre-existing character is purely coincidental and all plot points are original as well.  
> Enjoy~!

_**SilverClan** _

_****“** **_ _Our loyalty runs silver "_

 

LEADER: Sparrowstar - large brown tabby tom with a pelt like sparrow's wings and distinctive green eyes

 

DEPUTY: Pinehawk - fierce brown tom with long, shaggy fur, and a rough scar over his shoulder from a hawk fight  **Apprentice; Hawkpaw**

 

MEDICINE CAT: Sageheart - sleek gray tom with a narrow face and vibrant yellow eyes  **Apprentice; Echopaw**

 

WARRIORS: (toms, and she-cats without kits)

Lionstorm - huge, striking tom cat with vibrant orange tabby fur and orange eyes

Mapleflight - solid brown she-cat with white paws, a wide face, and pale green eyes  **Apprentice; Emberpaw**

Sharpwind - sleek gray-brown tom with large ears and green eyes

Hollyskip - nimble yet burly black and white she-cat with a black nose and soft blue eyes

Flintfur - light gray tabby tom with amber eyes and a stoic demeanor  **Apprentice; Ashpaw**

Nettlefrost - beautiful yet sharp-tongued she-cat with long gray and white fur

Bluefang - striking she-cat with solid light brown fur, a white jaw, and blue-green eyes

Russettail - large auburn colored tom with long fur and a fluffy tail

Nightbelly - black and white she-cat with long white eyebrows, has a distinct belly that hangs low

 

APPRENTICES: (more than six moons old, in training to become warriors)

Emberpaw - lanky orange tabby she-cat with notably good hearing and bright amber eyes

Ashpaw - gray tabby tom who is small in size but very agile and quiet

Hawkpaw - big and competitive young tom with a brown-gray tabby coat

Echopaw - long faced young she-cat with fluffy, light gray tabby fur and gray eyes

 

QUEENS: (she-cats expecting or nursing kits)

Morningsnow - stunning she-cat with white/cream colored fur and piercing blue eyes

Fallenlight - reclusive and very skinny white and gray she-cat with green eyes

 

ELDERS: (former warriors and queens, now retired)

Brokenstone - old tom with a broken, white muzzle and gray fur


	2. Meet the Clans - TwilightClan

_**TwilightClan** _

_****“** ** Through the endless twilight_   _ ** **”****_

 

LEADER: Slugstar - rugged black she-cat with shaggy fur and amber eyes

 

DEPUTY: Frogwatcher - light brown tabby tom with a viscous scar over his left eye

 

MEDICINE CAT: Icetail - all white she-cat without a tail and yellow-green eyes

 

WARRIORS: (toms, and she-cats without kits) 

Paleshade - solid black and brown tom cat with icy green eyes and a muscular build

Beetleflight - sleek brown and white tom cat with large ears and crossed blue eyes

Stoneclaw - huge tabby tom with old battle scars such as torn ears and a partially missing tail

Foxfern - sly orange she-cat with green eyes and long fur

Littlestream - a small she-cat with a solid white body and gray face and tail with brilliant blue eyes, arguably the most beautiful she-cat in all four clans  **Apprentice; Deadpaw**

Tumblescar - scarred bi-colored tom cat with orange eyes, though one eye partially ruined by a fearsome scar

Blackwing - elusive, sleek and lithe black she-cat with bright orange eyes

Flintcloud - fluffy light gray tabby tom with brown eyes  **Apprentice; Timberpaw**

Spiderflight - lanky, all brown she-cat with pointed ears and dark green eyes  **Apprentice; Robinpaw**

 

APPRENTICES: (more than six moons old, in training to become warriors) 

Deadpaw - young tom with a black coat that holds subtle brown stripes only seen in the light

Robinpaw - fluffy she-cat with big ears and a tabby coat, known to be afraid and panicky

Timberpaw - white and brown tabby tom

 

QUEENS: (she-cats expecting or nursing kits) 

Sunwhisper - shimmering all black she-cat with pale eyes

Lakeshine - beautiful calico she-cat with long hair and a kind temperment

 

ELDERS: (former warriors and queens, now retired)

Deadfern - battered old tom with thick neck fur and a dead tail

Mumblemist - old gray tabby she-cat with a pushed in nose and tattered ears


	3. Meet the Clans - BorderClan

_**BorderClan** _

  **“** _Fury lies in the forgotten_ **”**

LEADER: Wildstar - a fiersome brown tom with an untamed coat and tufted ears

 

DEPUTY: Mistytalon - levelheaded all gray she-cat with a long nose and blue eyes

 

MEDICINE CAT: Nightcloud - cryptic black tom with shaggy fur  **Apprentice; Wolfpaw**

 

WARRIORS: (toms, and she-cats without kits)

Jaggedfern - scruffy white she-cat with torn ears and a patchy tail

Bramblestrike - huge brown tom cat, known for his hunting skills

Mothwhisper - all white tom cat with pale blue eyes  **Apprentice; Toadpaw**

Ravenshine - shiny and sleek black she-cat  **Apprentice; Heatherpaw**

Cloverstrike - fearsome black and white she-cat with long fur and a strip of white down her face

Mouseshadow - small brown tabby with a scarred patch on the right side of her chest

Sootclaw - scraggly gray tabby tom

Brownstripe - sleek and broad tawny tom with short, pointed ears  **Apprentice; Stormpaw**

 

APPRENTICES: (more than six moons old, in training to become warriors)

Heatherpaw - gray and brown tabby she-cat with white paws

Stormpaw - young all black tom cat

Toadpaw - fluffy white tom with a stripped orange tail and blue eyes

Wolfpaw - three-legged small gray tom with amber eyes and a tuft of white fur on his chest

 

QUEENS: (she-cats expecting or nursing kits)

NONE

 

ELDERS: (former warriors and queens, now retired)

Hornetbreeze - old calico she-cat with an ornery personality


	4. Meet the Clans - BriarClan

  

_**BriarClan** _

  **“** _We are but clover to the elk_ **”**

LEADER: Quietstar - striking moon-white she-cat with pale eyes and a quiet voice

 

DEPUTY: Elkfrost - skinny and sleek, all brown she-cat who is dedicated to her position

 

MEDICINE CAT: Morningleaf - fluffy and even tempered she-cat with light brown striped fur and a white muzzle

 

WARRIORS: (toms, and she-cats without kits)

Swifttalon - pale orange and white tom cat with a mean look and orange eyes

Petalfoot - beautifully sleek pale tabby she-cat with green eyes  **Apprentice; Tinypaw**

Risingstep - splotchy gray and white tom with a heavy frame 

Tallthorn - tall black and white tom with an honest nature

Riverheart - handsome and sleek gray tabby tom  **Apprentice(s); Runningpaw & Silverpaw**

Brambletail - brown spotted tom cat

Troutleap - skinny all gray tom who is well known for his jumping skills

Whitejaw - lazy black tom with a white jaw and paws  **Apprentice; Mudpaw**

 

APPRENTICES: (more than six moons old, in training to become warriors)

Tinypaw - very small solid white and striped brown she-cat

Mudpaw - a brown tom cat with spotted fur and green eyes

Runningpaw - skinny and sleek all brown she-cat with brown eyes, known for her speed and love for running

Silverpaw - big-eared light gray tabby tom

Featherpaw - blue-gray she-cat with a long face and piercing blue eyes

 

QUEENS: (she-cats expecting or nursing kits)

Rosefur - gray and orange calico with long fur

Honeysong - long haired she-cat with white fur and blue eyes

 

ELDERS: (former warriors and queens, now retired)

None

 


	5. Emberpaw & Echopaw (Chapter One)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: I haven't read the Warriors books in over six years, so my terminology and general understanding of the books have changed. If something doesn't make sense or is far off from the way that Erin Hunter writes things (i.e. if a ceremony is done incorrectly or something like that) then don't be afraid to write in the comments below!

Emberpaw.

No longer Emberkit, no longer the restless youngling who had padded out of the nursery and stared longingly at the distant expanse of forest. She was Emberpaw now.

Shifting in her new sleeping spot in the apprentice den, Hawkpaw and Ashpaw curled up in separate corners, Emberpaw couldn’t find sleep. The air was different in this part of the camp, so different from the nursery where she had spent the first six moons of her life. She had dreamt every single one of those moons of what it would be like to find her spot in the apprentice den, feeling the swatting tail of Ashpaw nudging her in the darkness. Emberpaw never thought it would be like this.

Emberpaw. The name still brought a purr to her lips as she rolled over and caught glimpses of moonlight streaming in through the cracks and holes in the old deadlog den. 

Across the camp, her littermate Echopaw was sleeping in the sanctuary of a hollowed out tree where the clan’s medicine cat resided. Emberpaw tried to imagine what it was like to be Echopaw who was already a moon into her training.

_ An echo must ripple over the water of the Reflection Stones. A moon early, for she must be ready _ .

Those were the words of Sageheart after a vision had been gifted to him during leaf-bare. For the entire season the clan pondered the meaning of the prophecy-  _ a moon early, for she must be ready _ . The prophecy spoke of Echopaw, and for the first time in a generation, the young kit was allowed to travel to the Reflection Stones at only five moons of age. It was unheard of and went against the Warrior Code, but the words of Sageheart’s prophecy overruled the code. Despite the terrifying connotation, his word was law- just as Sparrowstar and Pinehawk’s words were law. The leader and his deputy.

Emberpaw could see the leader’s den from her spot in the overturned log. A looming stone structure- a huge slab of granite that slid out of the ground to produce an outcrop. The rest of the den had been constructed by hauling other stones into the camp, when the first cats chose Sparrow’s Grove as the home of SilverClan generations upon generations ago. Even now, the clearing which was littered with sleeping warriors, was bathed in silver moonlight.

A harsh wind carried through the clearing, unnoticed by the slumbering toms and she-cats who sprawled out in the chill air of newleaf. Emberpaw could pick out her mentor- Mapleflight- in the throng of older, more seasoned cats. At her side was her mate, Lionstorm. Emberpaw wanted to be just like Mapleflight, with a loving mate and a litter of her own- though that litter slept only a paw’s length away from her and was nothing more than a mouse-brained tom. She wanted to be as strong and skilled as Mapleflight, something Emberpaw reminded herself every day, even before she had begun her training as an apprentice. She spoke endlessly of how much she was inspired by Mapleflight and not more than a half-moon ago she had been chosen as Mapleflight’s first apprentice. Emberpaw huffed with pride.

Through the darkness Emberpaw could see Hawkpaw, Mapleflight’s one and only son. His darkened tabby coat was almost black in the sparse light of the apprentice den. He was big for his age, just like his father, but had a temperament that neither his parents possessed. Arrogant and too big for his haunches. Even his competitive streak, something Emberpaw also harbored, turned him into a prideful beast. Hawkpaw was a fearsome fighter, though Emberpaw would never admit out loud, despite her admiration.

And Ashpaw. Emberpaw sat up in her slightly dug out divet in the apprentice den, fully awake and staring at Ashpaw in the darkness. The child of Flintfur and Hollyskip. Ashpaw’s own father was his mentor, the youngling almost identical to his father in appearance and temperament. Both were striped gray toms, lithe and powerful, Ashpaw only now showing the strength that would surely come with time. Both him and his father were quiet, stoic cats with strong senses for honor- the staple of SilverClan’s existence. Despite being the son of his mentor, Flintfur showed no emotion beyond that of mentor and apprentice, acting as though Ashpaw wasn’t even his kin. But in fleeting moments, Emberpaw could see the pride in Flintfur’s eyes when his son practiced his agility, a trait heightened by Hollyskip’s own skill for nimbility.

Voices drifted through the clearing, causing Emberpaw to turn and peek out into the camp. She tried to hide her surprise as Sparrowstar, her clan’s leader, emerged from the forest with Sageheart in toe. They were whispering softly, but Emberpaw had always been prided on her hearing.

“It seems we’ve had many prophecies as of late, Sageheart,” Sparrowstar’s meow was distinctive as the two weaved through the clearing. “I fear that something greater is upon us, if StarClan finds it imperative to send us so many warnings. And to send it to someone so young- what do you think Echopaw’s dream means?”

Emberpaw suppressed her gasp as she pressed her face to the hole beside her bed, trying to get a better look as Sparrowstar and Sageheart pawed over to the leader’s den.

“The signs that StarClan sends are difficult to understand, and may take many moons to decipher. The fact that StarClan has thought it necessary to send the same dream to me and my apprentice shows that this is a very, very important message. Allow me some time for thought- it may even be necessary for me and Echopaw to meditate over the prophecy at the Reflection Stones.” A tense pause ensued between the leader and the medicine cat.

Emberpaw couldn’t believe her ears. Her sister had been given a dream from StarClan and not shared it with her? Emberpaw couldn’t help but feel wounded. That was her sister, her kin, her littermate. But she was also something more, the future medicine cat of her clan, Emberpaw realized with some discomfort. Echopaw would always choose her clan over her sister, Emberpaw reminded herself.

Unable to push her curiosity aside, Emberpaw slunk from her sleeping place and drifted into the shadows of the camp. As Sageheart and Sparrowstar ventured into the leader’s den, their conversation grew difficult to hear. Emberpaw bounded across the clearing and pressed into the darkness of night.

“Should we say something to the clan? This prophecy foresees danger for not only SilverClan, but also BriarClan, BorderClan, and TwilightClan. Is this something we can keep hidden? Or have the other medicine cats seen this dream as well?”

“These are not questions for me, Sparrowstar, but for yourself. I fear, however, that telling SilverClan will only bring about panic. I can’t help but feel that the prophecy regarding Echopaw is linked to this one as well, but regardless of this fact, we need to keep this hidden until we have a better understanding. If you would allow Echopaw and I to venture to the other camps, I think it could prove fruitful in our understanding of just how deep this prophecy runs. It could run as far as the heart of the forest.” Sageheart’s words sent a chill skittering over Emberpaw’s spine. They were going to keep this hidden…! Sparrowstar was a great and honest leader, how could he keep something from his clan?

“And travel to BorderClan when they are more than ready for an excuse to wage war with us? I will grant passage to TwilightClan and BriarClan, but not BorderClan. The peace between us is fragile and easily broken. Speak with Quietstar on your journey to BriarClan to see if she can arrange for Nightcloud to be brought to you,” a gentle quiet took over the two as a contemplative air shone. Emberpaw knew all too well of her clan’s disputes with BorderClan. Her father’s torn ear would always be a symbol for the viciousness of BorderClan.

“I trust you, Sageheart. You have been my most honest and loyal friend throughout the seasons. Had it not been for your calling, I would have named you deputy.”

“I serve you and our clan better as a vessel for StarClan and their vast wisdom. I will ready Echopaw at sun-high to travel to BriarClan, and from there to BorderClan and then TwilightClan. This will be her first time in both BriarClan and BorderClan territory, so we may not return for a few nights.” There was some silent agreement between the two for Sageheart emerged from the leader’s den, not at all phased by the lateness of night. Emberpaw wondered if Sageheart even needed sleep. Sparrowstar did not leave his home after that, not at all taking note of the young orange she-cat who crouched in the shadows outside his den.

Emberpaw decided she needed to confront Echopaw before she departed sun-high the next day. With that, she curled up in her now cold sleeping area, though sleep still eluded her.


	6. Deadpaw (Chapter Two)

The forest was alive.

Despite being newleaf, the woodlands of Shadow Forest were still rife with cold and the signs of the harsh leaf-bare that had just ended. Underfoot were sprays of discarded brush of brambles, pine needles, and the stones that jutted out of the ground likes bones of the landscape.

Owls perched on high up branches filled the forest with their eerie song, as did the fresh insects that filtered in through the leaves. The occasional wind ruffled the darkened fur of the young cat who threaded in through the shadows of the forest.

“Deadpaw, I think we should turn back,” a soft voice came from behind. Deadpaw threw a glance over his shoulder to find Robinpaw picking her way down the forested slope, shaking pine needles from her tabby fur.

“We’ve come all this way for nothing if we turn back now. If you’re scared then stick close to me,” Deadpaw said in all seriousness before surging ahead.

“I’m not scared, mouse-brain!” Robinpaw called back with a snarl as she leapt to his side. Deadpaw tried to conceal his budding joy- to think that he could steal a moment alone with Robinpaw… he pushed the thoughts from his mind. So often Robinpaw’s brother, Timberpaw, would steal any fleeting moment of quiet joy between Robinpaw and Deadpaw. Though they had only just recently reached apprentice-hood, the three had been close in the nursery. It wasn’t until they became apprentices that Timberpaw began showing a protective side toward his littermate.

“Slugstar really gave it to you today- showing up to Claw-bite Hollow unannounced like that…” Robinpaw huffed out a breath that made Deadpaw lower his head and dive into the shadows. He didn’t want to think of Slugstar who seemingly had it out for him. Deadpaw couldn’t tell if her ire was directed at him or at his mentor, but regardless he was still sore from the training and the berating that came from his clan’s leader, Slugstar.

“She’s nothing more than an old buzzard. I’ll take over as leader one day, just you wait. And when I do, I won’t go around messing with apprentices or insulting my warriors.” Deadpaw’s voice was as sure as stone. He  _ was  _ going to become leader of TwilightClan and be a better figure than Slugstar could ever be. Robinpaw had heard these words time and time again. In the few moments that Deadpaw and his brown tabby friend could steal, they often dreamt of what it would be like. Wildstar and Mistytalon of the neighboring BorderClan were a mated pair who oversaw their clan together, as one. Deadpaw couldn’t help but want that for him and Robinpaw.

“Well, I wonder what that old buzzard will think when she finds us pouncing around the Reflection Stones. You  _ know  _ that’s a sacred place. We aren’t supposed to go there.”

“Slugstar won’t think anything because she  _ won’t _ find us as the Reflection Stones. Having a deputy for a father sure has made you out to be a scaredy-cat,” Deadpaw found tantalizing fun in pestering Robinpaw, though the fire in her dawn-colored eyes was enough to send a strip of fear through the young tom.

“Slugstar doesn’t even acknowledge my existence, despite being her deputy’s daughter. I can’t decide what’s worse- having her scolding you, or seeing her walk past me without a shadow of recognition.”

“If she ignores you then at least you don’t have to deal with her,” Deadpaw chided as the two began to take note of the moonlight that finally broke through the thinning treeline. The sound of rushing water grew closer, signaling that they had reached the Reflection Stones.

Deadpaw had been here once, on a dare from the older cats when he had been a kit. Though kits were forbidden from leaving the nursery, Deadpaw snuck out with the newly appointed warriors and made his way to the Reflection Stones before the entire clan realized his disappearance and sent out a search for him. Deadpaw lingered wistfully on the memory.

“Stars above…” Robinpaw whispered in awe as she stepped out of the treeline and took in the brilliance of the Reflection Stones. In the distance she could make out the North Feather Mountains, the gray-stoned peaks still capped with white from winter.

“Last time I had seen this place it was daylight… but now…” Deadpaw stepped up to Robinpaw’s side, his tail itching to twine with hers. Deadpaw bounded away, swatting at the shallow and crystal clear water of the small lake. The deepest point in the pond only brought water up to a grown cat’s flank, making the entire span of water easily transversable.

Strewn stones and dwarfed larch trees dotted the pond, the shimmering rocks giving the area it’s legendary name- the Reflection Stones. Starlight and moonlight mingled as Starpelt was displayed over the expanse of water and reflective stones.

Neither cat spoke as they paced around the bank of the Reflection Stones, Deadpaw having his sights set on an almost hidden cave at the other end of the pond. Silently, Robinpaw followed though she treaded lightly. If she had any qualms about being here and trespassing on StarClan territory, she kept it to herself.

“Deadpaw, this feels wrong,” Robinpaw pressed her flank to his side, her body trembling though Deadpaw knew better than to comment on it. He had brought her here as a way to clear his head, to get a moment alone with his friend and explore a place rarely seen.

“No… It feels…”  _ Right.  _ Deadpaw kept that last word to himself. It felt  _ right  _ to be there, as if paws were beckoning to him. Even the wind picked up, sending sputtering waves across the Reflective Stones as it pushed them toward the hidden cave. The Grotto, as TwilightClan called it.

“Let’s go inside,” Deadpaw pushed, but Robinpaw refused to move. The look on her face, wide and shaggy with her darkened tabby stripes, was one of refusal.

“Do you not feel that?”

“How utterly wrong this is? Yes Deadpaw, I feel that.” Robinpaw looked on the verge of fleeing. Deadpaw opened his mouth to protest, but instead saw a light shimmer in Robinpaw’s eyes before she collapsed into a sprawling sit and let her jaw hang.

When Deadpaw turned, he felt like he was dreaming. The Grotto was brilliant, as though a strike of lightning and a handful of stars illuminated it. The sound of a hundred chilling winds echoed within the Grotto, drawing Deadpaw out of his stupor.

“Robinpaw,” he said in a venerated whisper. She silently complied, knowing what the utterance of her name meant. They were supposed to come here, to see whatever brewed within the Grotto. The moon was reaching its highest point in the sky, but despite this and despite a day spent training, neither cat felt inclined to sleep or return to camp.

The mouth of the Grotto loomed before them as they neared the cavern, neither deigning to speak or look at each other as Deadpaw took the first tentative step in. The blinding light from a moment ago was replaced by the molded scent of a wet cave and the rhythmic dripping of water from bone white stalactites that hung from the low ceiling. Beyond the pools of collected water, resting on a raised stone structure, was a cat. Deadpaw stopped at the sight.

He would have thought it to be a rogue or some wayward kittypet, if not for the shimmer of light at the edge of the cat’s pelt. It was reminiscent of the way that Starpelt shimmered.

Robinpaw was pressed into his flank once more, leaning against Deadpaw for support as she quivered at the sight before her.

When the silhouette, a blackened smudge against the growing darkness of the Grotto, turned, Deadpaw quivered as well. This was a moment for a medicine cat, not two newly appointed apprentices who were far from being warriors.

“I’ve waited a long time, Deadpaw.” The cat spoke with a deep rumble of a voice, like the shaking earth during a nightly thunderstorm.

“How do you know my name?” The black-furred apprentice asked with a steady voice, so stark to the way his heart was screaming in his chest. He took a step away from Robinpaw who almost protested but was pinned silent by the sight.

“A good leader must take great pride in those who are the future of his clan, for if not then he is of a foul heart. Apprentices are the warriors of the coming dawn. It is only customary for me, whether living or StarClan bound, to walk alongside you in the journey you are destined to embark on.” He turned and pinned brilliant blue eyes on the two young apprentices stationed at the mouth of the Grotto. Deadpaw pushed himself in between the nameless cat and Robinpaw who still wavered.

“And what do you know of leadership?” The tom huffed out a breath that made Deadpaw’s whiskers twitch in irritation. In a graceful, magnificent leap, he landed before Deadpaw and drew his blue eyes over the young cat. Deadpaw, if not for his amber eyes and the subtle strips of brown in his black coat, could have easily been the son of this nameless tom.

“I know a great deal, young warrior. I am Twilightstar, first and former leader of TwilightClan, and one of the Four Leaders of StarClan. And you are Deadpaw, the fatherless son of my clan.”

Deadpaw refused to believe it. Robinpaw was a stone still figure behind him, unmoving beyond the trembling of her tiny frame. Why would Twilightstar, the first ever leader of TwilightClan, make the journey from StarClan just to speak to  _ him  _ in the Grotto? Or was Twilightstar waiting for the arrival of someone else- Slugstar or his clan’s medicine cat, Icetail?

“I can see what you’re thinking, young warrior. I have come for you, for the future in which my clan rests. Though sweet Robinpaw was a surprise- I had only intended on speaking with you, but you will need her at your side if you are to carry out this journey. Everything that has happened, everything that ever was and ever has been, has lead up to this point, Deadpaw. Every terrible thing that has happened, every miracle sprung, has been in preparation for the trials that you and all the clans are soon to face.”

Ice took hold of Deadpaw’s heart. Had it not been for his pride, his sense of self and belief in the stars, Deadpaw would have thought of this as nothing more than a cruel joke.

But the glimmer of moonlight on his black fur and the suffocatingly ancient air that filled the Grotto made this all very real. Deadpaw was really, truly speaking with the highly respected founder of his clan- Twilightstar. He was the standard by which all leaders were judged, not only in TwilightClan. Deadpaw’s sudden awe was apparent as he dipped low into a bow, Robinpaw following in suit after stepping to his side.

“The future of my beloved clan…” Twilightstar mused, dragging his legendary gaze over the two children of his children, kin of his kin, as all TwilightClan cats were.

“The fate of the clan rests with you, Deadpaw. A force is coming, one of greed and desire. Smoke will consume the fallen, felt only by echoes and death. Follow the running heart, listen to the wolves cry, and hear the ember’s song. Truth lies in four from differing clans, all destined to restore the balance. These are my words to you, Deadpaw. Meet with the echo that ripples the Reflection Stones, and only then can you uncover the remaining three pieces of my prophecy.”

“Meet with the echo that ripple the Reflection Stones? I don’t understand- what do I do after uncovering the three remaining pieces?” Deadpaw grew frantic as he saw the edges of Twilightstar blur and slowly fade.

No! He couldn’t leave, not yet!

“The echo will know the way. I’ve given all the time I can spare, young warrior. Never fear the loneliness, for I am always in your shadows.” In a heartbeat, through the patter of dripping water and howl of distant winds, Twilightstar faded into the night. As gentle as the brush of a moth’s wings, he was gone.

A moment stretched out between the two remaining cats- what was there to say? Deadpaw, in a moment of realization, understood. Not the prophecy or the foreboding words, but something far more intimate. Twilightstar had  _ always  _ walked the paths that Deadpaw walked. In those days when sadness threatened, an unseen force had always been there to lift his head. In the times when defeat crooned at  him, a whispering wind pleaded for him to continue on. Twilightstar watched over him- a rare privilege reserved only for leaders and the medicine cats that protected the clans.

“I imagine that’s what you’ll look like,” Robinpaw whispered as she finally found the strength to talk. Deadpaw cast her a thoughtful, lingering glance that his mother often gave him.

“What do you mean?”

“I imagine that’s what you’ll look like when you become leader.” The shimmer in Robinpaw’s amber eyes was almost breathtaking. Deadpaw tried to quiet his thrumming heart, fearful that it was loud enough for Robinpaw to hear.

With the surprise and apprehension behind them, Robinpaw led the way home.


	7. Runningpaw (Chapter Three)

Smoke and embers.

Runningpaw choked on the heaviness of the smoke as it invaded her lungs. The feeling of it left her dizzy, her throat too raw to call out for a mother who would not hear her, for a father she had never known.

She stuck close to the ground, dodging the embers that fluttered on the wind like bright winged birds. In a terrifying moment, Runningpaw realized that this burning landscape was the prairie lands that she called home. Rockpelt Boulder could be seen in the distance, though it was charred and bloodied. In a fleeting heartbeat, Runningpaw wondered if that was how it looked the day of Rockpelt’s murder, generations ago.

Behind her the sparse birchwood forest was bathed in a sea of blood. Even through the waves of suffocating smoke Runningpaw could taste the metallic, instinctual scent of blood. Slain warriors, mangled kits, butchered queens- through the fray, Runningpaw saw her closest friend, Tinypaw, with her neck bent at an awkward angle.

At her side Runningpaw could feel the bite and sting of wayward embers. Beyond Rockpelt Boulder Runningwind spotted a single, lonely wolf, crying out over the carnage of this battle field. Embers curled around the beast’s gray and white coat, cloaking him in warmth and fire.

“Truth lies in four. Unite and bring forth balance.” The wolf spoke, erupting with a sorrowful howl before breaking into a sprint. Runningpaw, unable to control herself, began racing on legs that felt like the greenleaf winds that she yearned to feel. Soon she caught up with the wolf, his lithe body flanking her right. At her left, embers took the shape of a young but beautiful she-cat, the three of them racing with a deadly shadow underfoot. Ahead, they ran, toward a billowing pillar of smoke.

But before the smoke could even mingle with Runningpaw’s earth-colored coat, the world broke open. Runningpaw saw not the prairie lands of BriarClan territory, but instead the sandy ground of the apprentice den.

It took a moment for the exhilaration of her dream to wear off, leaving Runningpaw breathing heavily.

She was beginning to lose count of how many nights she had woken from that same dream, wide-eyed and trembling. But tonight it was different. Instead of running through the glen of BriarClan camp surveying the death and destruction of her clan, tonight she had met the wolf and she-cat who sprung from embers. Tonight, instead of fleeing from the smoke, she raced toward it.

Needing fresh air and the coolness of night, Runningpaw took care to not wake her peers as she ducked out of the den. The sandy hollow where her clan resided stretched out before her, bathed in twilight and a low sheet of mist. Newleaf was still densely new and the cold air was evidence enough for that. Runningpaw tried to bristle against a chilling wind to no avail.

Not a soul stirred in the eerily quiet camp. Not even the nocturnal rodents or birds of prey scurried through the sparse, sprouting undergrowth of the surrounding area. Runningpaw pushed away the creeping sensation that something lurked on the horizon- eyes watching her lithe movements as she padded across the clearing.

The fresh-kill pile was now empty, save for a few bones that would disappear come morning. Soft mewling came from the other side of the camp where nursing queens cared for their kits in a dug out burrow that had once housed a fox. Beside it was the briar den where their medicine cat, Morningleaf, and her apprentice Featherpaw resided. An empty elders den flanked the briar den.

Runningpaw was unsure of where she was heading, and turned to head out into the prairie lands. To feel Rockpelt Boulder beneath her paws… she decided that was what she needed.

“Runningpaw,” a gentle voice, no louder than a tender breeze, called out to her. From the shadows of the leader’s den, a structure of birchwood and stone, padded a pale figure. Even in the light of the moon it was distinct who this was. Quietstar, the leader of BriarClan, dipped her wide face in greeting to the young apprentice.

“Quietstar…! I didn’t mean to wake you-”

“No worries, apprentice. I came out for some air as well. May I join you?.” Quietstar’s soft voice was only accentuated by the silence of the surrounding forest. It was as if she always spoke in a low whisper. Runningpaw tried to ignore the dense patch of scars that marred her marbled cheek.

“I… yes, of course. I was going to visit Rockpelt Boulder- that is, if I have permission.” Runningpaw knew better than to scurry away to Rockpelt Boulder without a seasoned warrior knowing her whereabouts, but she had the sudden urge to see it. 

“It’s been some time since I’ve visited Rockpelt Boulder,” Quietstar murmured as she motioned for Runningpaw to follow. Silently she obliged. Quietstar, only recently having been promoted to leader not more than a few moons ago, had been alive for the murder of Rockpelt. He had been the deputy of the clan long before Runningpaw’s birth. To the older cats Rockpelt Boulder was a hallowed place that was rarely visited. It had only recently become a place for the younger warriors to lounge in the sun.

“Rockpelt was a fine warrior, and a fair deputy. I wish he would have survived to become leader, after Feverstar’s untimely death…” Quietstar spoke often of the way the clans used to be. Despite the air that she had, the stature that she was meant to be a leader, it was obvious that Quietstar often doubted herself. It was a different life, a different time, back then.

“Why do you wish to visit the boulder?” The two had now left the camp behind and emerged from the birchwood forest, taking in the open sky of the prairie. Tonight, the horizon had a quality that Runningpaw couldn’t quite place- as though the stars were closer than usual.

“I…” Runningpaw was almost reluctant to delve into the subject of her dreams. Quietstar was a leader, a diplomatic figure who dealt not only with the issues of BriarClan, but with the issues of other clans as well. She didn’t want to worry her leader with the issues of her terrible dreams, but Runningpaw didn’t know where else to turn. Her mother would never listen, despite her position as deputy of the clan. Elkfrost was far too busy dealing with border patrols and territorial skirmishes that it was almost stupid to think her mother would give a rats-tail about what plagued her. But that was nothing new.

Quietstar had always been like a mother to her, in place of the one who stalked throughout their grassland territory as deputy.

“I saw it in a dream tonight. Burnt and bloodied, same as the hills and our camp. All the way to Elk Pond, all leading to this… suffocatingly large pillar of smoke,” Runningpaw didn’t even want to look at her leader. This was all so childish- nothing more than nightmares. But something about the dreams, the frequency of them and the urgency that she felt whispered on the winds… there was something more to it.

“Tell me more,” Quietstar pressed. The two could see Rockpelt Boulder rising in the distance, a great looming mass of stone and weeds. A silent air fell over the two as Runningpaw tried to gather her thoughts and piece it all together into a cohesive understanding.

“A wolf- I saw a wolf, and he spoke to me. Then the embers in my dream transformed into a she-cat, the three of us racing toward the smoke as a protective shadow followed underfoot.”

“And what did this wolf say?” Quietstar tentatively pawed around the Rockpelt Boulder, obviously discomforted by the sight of it. In a solid and fluid motion she sprung up onto the stone, Runningpaw following in suit.

“Truth lies in four. Unite and bring forth balance.” A shudder danced over Runningpaw, her brown fur rising at the eerie feeling that accompanied those words. For a long while after that the two cats, one young, one old, sat and watched the brilliance of the moon interweaving through Starpelt. The vibrant beauty of it was supernatural.

“A prophecy,” Quietstar finally responded after a long pause of silence and contemplation. Runningpaw had grown sleepy again, feeling the soft newleaf winds.

“I believe that StarClan has chosen you, Runningpaw, to be the center of a great prophecy. At sun-up tomorrow you will tell Morningleaf every detail of your dreams. She may even request you accompany her and Featherpaw to the Reflection Stones.” It was rare for Quietstar to speak so much at once, but Runningpaw was considered one of her own and had always seen Quietstar as a source of comfort. But that comfort dwindled away at the realization of her leader’s words- StarClan had chosen  _ her _ , a fatherless she-cat with no real family, to undertake this cryptic prophecy.

“What do you think it means, Quietstar?”

“I don’t know.”


	8. Emberpaw & Echopaw (Chapter Four)

“Why do I have to keep this hidden?” Echopaw, despite her even temperament, was pacing around the medicine cat den as moon-high came and slowly passed. She had only gotten a wink of sleep before Sageheart returned from a furtive meeting with the leader of SilverClan.

“Echopaw,” Sageheart began as he nudged her to calm herself, “the day will come when you are named medicine cat of SilverClan. There is more to this position, this lifestyle, than healing and communing with StarClan. You are a leader, in the sense that our clan will turn to  _ you  _ in difficult times for council and understanding. How are we meant to face SilverClan, divulge this prophecy, when we have no means of an answer to the many questions they are sure to ask?”

Echopaw felt her ears burn at the chastising tone of Sageheart’s words. She couldn’t grasp for words to fight him on this subject, but a whispering voice in the wind told her otherwise. They  _ needed  _ to tell the members of SilverClan, to warn them of the war waging on the horizon.

“The cats of this clan  _ deserve _ to know.”

“What the cats of this clan deserve, is answers. We leave at sun-high tomorrow, after we’ve readied the clan for our departure. Rest easy tonight, apprentice, for we have a journey to embark on.” Sageheart ended the discussion then and there, keeping Echopaw from pushing the subject any further. It was so rare for her to feel strongly about something and outwardly say it to the experienced tom who was her mentor.

In a fit of brief courage, Echopaw slipped from the medicine den. Sageheart had tumbled into sleep quickly and soundly, offering the perfect chance for the young she-cat to rush over to the apprentice den. If she was to leave for the next few nights then she needed someone in the clan to know and prepare for the prophecy, for Echopaw would not return until she had some understanding of what StarClan was asking of her.

“Emberpaw!” Her hissing whisper slithered through the apprentice den, almost rousing Hawkpaw who turned in his sleep and grumbled. In an instant brilliant amber eyes were staring up at her, Emberpaw twisting in her spot as she threw off the little sleep that clung to her.

“Echopaw-”

“I need to speak to you- somewhere privately. Meet me at the at the border between SilverClan and BriarClan tomorrow at moon-high. Come alone. And  _ no one  _ can know.” Echopaw turned to leave. There wasn’t enough time tonight, but BriarClan was close enough to their camp that Echopaw knew her mentor would take her there first. Though she had never seen BriarClan before, Echopaw knew her own territory well enough.

“Wait…!” Emberpaw’s voice stopped her.

“I’ll explain everything tomorrow at moon-high,” Echopaw dipped out of the apprentice den and raced back toward her own sleeping area with Sageheart. Emberpaw, dazed and still drowsy from her attempt at sleep, couldn’t help but think of Echopaw as someone far wiser than her moons.


End file.
